Propeller



AUGUSTIN DUBOCE, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

PROPELLER.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 13,336, dated July 24, 1855.

To all whom it my concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTIN DUBooE, of Brooklyn, Kings county, andState of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement inPropellers for Vessels, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,making part of this specification, in which- Figure 1, is a plan'of themechanism for operating the propellers; Fig. 2, a vertical cross sectionof the vessel with the propellers and their mechanism; Fig` 3, anelevation of one of the propellers; and Fig. 4L, a horizontal section ofthe propellers representing the several positions they assume in theirvibrations.

The same letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

The propellers which I employ are paddles or blades suspended at, andfrom the sides of the vessel, and vibrating laterally in the verticalplane of a cross section of the vessel and at the same time having areciprocating rotary motion on their own axis, so that at the extremityof each lateral vibration they shall be feathered, that is have theirplanes in the line of motion of the vessel, and in vibrating either wayturn on their axls that their faces may be oblique to that line ofmot-ion for the purpose o-f giving the propelling or sculling action,and toward the end of each lateral motion again turn in the line of thevessels motion. And my said invention consists in giving to each bladethe two motions above indicated, that is the vibratory motion in theplane of a. vertical cross section of the vessel, and the reciprocatingrotary motion on its axis by jointing the arbor of the blade to thevessel with a ball and socketjoint or its equivalent, in combinationwith an arm projecting from the said arbor above its ball and socketjoint, the end of which arm is connected by a slipping and ball andsocket joint, or the equivalent thereof, with a wheel or crank arm onthe driving shaft, the arbor of the blade being kep-t in the plane ofthe vert-ical cross section by suitable guides or their equivalent,whereby, as the driving shaft rotates, the end of the arm at itsconnection with the slipping and ball and socket joint is made todescribe a circle which imparts to the blade the lateral vibratorymotion toward and from the vessels side as well as the reciprocatingmotion on its axis to reverse the direction of its Obliquity, thislat-ter motion being mainly imparted to the blade at the end of eachlateral vibration by reason of the passage of t-he end of the arm at theupper and lower dead point of the crank like motion.

In the accompanying drawings a represents a portion of a vessel, and Z),b two blades or sculls, one on each side, although the number can beincreased at pleasure. The form of the blade represented in the drawingsis the one which I prefer, but it may be changed at the pleasure of theconstructor.

The upper end of the blade has an arbor c which passes through a sleevearbor Z to which it is properly secured to turn therewith. And the lowerend of this sleeve is of a spherical form fitted to a socket c in theside of the vessel to constitute what is well known as a ball and socketjoint. And as t-he arbor of the blade passes through to the inside ofthe vessel the ball and socket joint must either be placed sufficientlyabove the water line or the joint itself should exclude water. The upperend of the sleeve arbor turns in a box f fitted to slide between guideways g, g which insure the vibration of the blade in the plane of avertical section of the vessel.

There is an arm h which projects inward from the sleeve arbor andbetween the guide ways and the ball and socket joint and in a plane atright angles to the face of the blade. The extreme end of this armconstitutes a cylindrical .wrist pin fitted to slide freely butaccurately in the cent-ral hole of a ball z' which is fitted to aspherical socket I near the periphery of a wheel on the crank shaftlo ofan engine, there forming a sliding and ball and socket joint, so thatthe end of the arm, thus jointed, revolves in a circle, thereby causingthe paddle to vibrate toward and from the side of the vessel in avertical or nearly vertical plane at right angles to the vessels keel,and also to rotate on its axis alternately in opposite directions toincline the plane of the blade to the line of the keel, and alternatelyto reverse that angle, the degree of ultimate inclination in eitherdirection depending upon the length of the arm relatively to thedistance of the center of the ball and socket joint in which the armworks from the center of the crank or driving shaft.

From the foregoing it Will be seen that when the end of the arm is atthe highest part Of its circuit the blade will be nearest 1 the side ofthe vessel, with its plane parallel with the keel, so that it will passthrough the water with the least resistance, as represented by the linesZ, Z, see Fig. 4, and when the arm is at the lowest part of its circuitthe blade will be farthest from the vessel and with its plane alsoparallel with the keel as represented by the lines m, m, see Fig. 4. Andit will also be seen that the turning of the paddle tO reverse theObliquity will take place mainly at the end of each vibration when thepoint Of connection of the arm is passing the upper and the lower deadpoints, so that during the greater part Of the lateral vibrations of thepaddle its Obliquity is such as tO give an efficient propelling action,and when it has but little vibratory motion it is feathered to cutthrough the water.

I/Vhen the crank Or driving shaft rotates in the direction of the arrowthe Obliquity of the blade will be such during the vibration as to forcethe vessel forward; but when the motion Of the shaft is reversed theObliquity of the paddles is4 also reversed which will give thepropelling action in the opposite direction tO back the vessel.

The mechanism is the same on both sides. The blades may be placedanywhere along the sides of the vessel, although I prefer to place themnear the stern.

What I claim as by invention for giving the blades the motions abovespecified, is-

Connecting them with the sides Of the vessel by means Of a ball andsocket joint, Or any equivalent therefor, in combina-tion with an armprojecting from the arbor of the blade, the end Of which arm isconnected by a sliding and ball and socket joint, or any equivalenttherefor, With a wheel or crank arm on the crank or driving shaft,substantially as and for the purpose specied.

AUGUSTIN DUBOCE.

Vitnesses:

A. CUNNINGHAM, WM. H. BISHOP.

